When I wore a Younger man's Cloths, I ran a Bultaco Astro on Ice for a Couple years.Coming from Dirt....you would be amazed at the Absolutely Homogeneous Traction... Stick a Handlebar End, right in the Ice!!!!!

I love the old bikes too, when someone else has one that's running. I don't have any, and any time I think about getting one, I just have to think about how little time I want to put into my modern bikes before a ride. Doubling or tripling (or worse) that time to take an old one out appeals to me less and less. Hunting for good old parts also is a pain in the arse. My 20 year old RoadKing is enough for me.

Aw Hoss, I don't know what old bikes you've been around that gave you that impression, but none of my old ones take any longer to "prep" than my "new" 2004 RK. Turn on gas, turn on ignition, pull choke, hit starter, and off you go. OK, the Indian is slightly more involved, but not by much. Yes, hunting for good parts can be aggravating, but that's just one of the challenges of restoration. Hey, it ain't for everyone, that's for sure!

I ran a ratchet strap thru the front wheel, around the neck and "lowered" the forks about an inch. The stance is perfect...suppose I could get lowered springs from RaceTech for a '78 and later Showa? I suppose I'd better contact them and start asking questions.....

I ran a ratchet strap thru the front wheel, around the neck and "lowered" the forks about an inch. The stance is perfect...suppose I could get lowered springs from RaceTech for a '78 and later Showa? I suppose I'd better contact them and start asking questions.....

A Inch is alot... any lowering "kit" or Method, will reduce travel... If you can live with that, lowering is simple "Potty mouth"..If you require the Travel... shorter tubes is about the only way..I'll think on that... but betting that is where you are at..Measure the length ... either total "leg" or center of axle to base of steering neck...Showa I assume??

I love the old bikes too, when someone else has one that's running. I don't have any, and any time I think about getting one, I just have to think about how little time I want to put into my modern bikes before a ride. Doubling or tripling (or worse) that time to take an old one out appeals to me less and less. Hunting for good old parts also is a pain in the arse. My 20 year old RoadKing is enough for me.

Yep Hoss.. I used to enjoy having shovels, 71 and a 73.. almost 20 years ago I bought my FLHT.. Kept the 73 shovel for a few years after that. Rarely ever rode it.. I owned it for 28 years. Replaced, rebuilt, modified, just about everything from the front axle to the rear axle and everything in the middle. The FLH went the first roughly 17 years with no issues other than some warranty repairs when it was still under warranty.

Now it seems I'm having to get into things that wear out, break etc,.. I'd rather ride than wrench these days.. Yes.. I'm getting OLD..

[/quote]A Inch is alot... any lowering "kit" or Method, will reduce travel... If you can live with that, lowering is simple "Potty mouth"..If you require the Travel... shorter tubes is about the only way..I'll think on that... but betting that is where you are at..Measure the length ... either total "leg" or center of axle to base of steering neck...Showa I assume??[/quote]

RaceTech replied within 24hrs; concise answer too. Recommended I go with .80kg/in springs; a touch heavier than stock. Will be under $100. Not going to bother with cartridges etc. on this build; it's not going to see much hard riding. Will haul it down to the big city sometime for a cruise around there (340 miles of 4 lane away)

A Inch is alot... any lowering "kit" or Method, will reduce travel... If you can live with that, lowering is simple "Potty mouth"..If you require the Travel... shorter tubes is about the only way..I'll think on that... but betting that is where you are at..Measure the length ... either total "leg" or center of axle to base of steering neck...Showa I assume??[/quote]

RaceTech replied within 24hrs; concise answer too. Recommended I go with .80kg/in springs; a touch heavier than stock. Will be under $100. Not going to bother with cartridges etc. on this build; it's not going to see much hard riding. Will haul it down to the big city sometime for a cruise around there (340 miles of 4 lane away)[/quote]Not gonna be Lower in any way with heavier springs... or are we talking heavier springs After Lowering???I stand by what I wrote...And... simply putting a spacer above the Springs would have stiffened the Springs a little [preloaded actually] and you could then see how it "feels" for Free!!!!!

Stiff suspension on a street bike means rough ride and compromised handling in turns with less than glass smooth pavement. And reducing what little travel a typical HD has is working in the wrong direction. But if that's you're idea of fun, enjoy!

Have had other issues dominate lately; finally stars lined up and went for a good ride today. Most amazing thing was, I went back into the garage a short while after parking the XLCH and, when hot, it has a smell...a beautiful garage aroma. Cast iron and hot oil...am I imagining this?

when hot, it has a smell...a beautiful garage aroma. Cast iron and hot oil...am I imagining this?

Nope, my buddy rides a unrestored 66 Shovel. I call it the Shatty Shovel (spelled correctly though). It has a aroma all its own. Old oil, fuel, whatever. Cant be described, but it's there and it smells nice.

So; decision time on the XLCH. Iím definitely keeping it; too much enjoyment just starting and riding it. But; do I restore to origional, or can I do some easily reversible resto-mods? I see far more fugly bodge jobs than clean riders. Obviously being the bike of choice for the bottom of the HD economic scale has decimated the ranks of these old machines. Will they ever have any value other than as the cheapest HD to make noise with? I ask for opinions because itíll cost about the same to go either way.....I see they go for much more (stock) overseas, so they are appreciated somewhere.

I think that decision rests solely with you and what you want. I love restored machines in original livery. But that can be very difficult to accomplish, and certainly not cheap. But really, any vehicle being restored to original is not cheap or easy, and rarely worth the money that is put into it.And, I can appreciate an old machine that has been modified (cobbled) to keep it on the road and running (no day-glo paint please!).Close to original with aftermarket parts is just fine too. A friend has a '47 Indian, looks great, runs great, rides it often, pretty close to original, but some aftermarket parts that work much better than original (a good generator with a heat sink attached) that only purists would really notice. It draws a crowd wherever it goes, of course.

If it's already fairly close to stock original, why not keep it that way? When you build choppers or bobbers or what not, you typically start with a hack. But to hack on a fairly pristine old bike is a crime. I'd vote for full stock restoration.